ST. DAVIDS, Pa.—No. 17 Eastern University Volleyball swept the Wilkes University Colonels on Tuesday evening 25-18, 25-16, 25-8.

After the Colonels hung around the first two sets, the Eagles sent the Colonels packing in a 13-minute-long third set where the Eagles hit an obscene .737 as a team. For the match overall, the Eagles pounded the ball with a .415 hitting percentage and were led in kills by Lauren Sproles (12), Morgan Shemonski (11) and Erin Hillman (nine). Wilkes recorded a -.010 hitting percentage and were led by Ally Paskas' six kills.

Sproles' 12 kills came on an efficient 20 attempts (.600 hitting percentage). Shemonski and Hillman had fairly astronomical percentages as well, .588 and .438, respectively, with just a combined three errors between them.

Setter Rikki Schlager dealt out 34 assists and led the team with 10 digs. Libero Rylie Haas and defensive specialist Lauren Horst each had nine digs.

The Eagles commanded play at the net with 12 total team blocks, their second highest figure this season. Alicia Weigel had two solo blocks and five assisted blocks, and Katrina Pisch had two solo blocks as well as two assisted blocks.

In the first set, Wilkes rattled off seven straight points to pull within one point of the Eagles at 15-14; however, the Eagles blocked four Wilkes' attempts down the stretch to pull off the 25-18 first-set win. 

In the second set, the Colonels and Eagles were neck and neck all the way up to 15-14, but three kills by Sproles in crunch time as well as an ace on set-point helped the Eagles to a 25-16 second-set win.

Set three belonged to Eastern from the first point, a kill by Shemonski. The Eagles, as mentioned earlier, scored at will and held Wilkes to a -.105 hitting percentage.

Eastern, 22-5 (6-0 Freedom), take a break from conference play this weekend with a tough tournament in Huntingdon, Pa. On Friday night, they'll challenge No. 10 Juniata College (21-6), and then continue on Saturday with Stevenson University (22-3) and Carnegie Mellon (21-5).

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